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Alright, so I have looked at the parent site, I have reviewed the forums and I have checked the interwebs and didn't come up with much. I know that this is a very general question and it appears to be one that most people know... but how?!

What is the ID of a Parrot (the part in which the hydrometer sits in)?

I have not purchased my Proof Hydrometer yet, but I have a SG Hydrometer from my beer brews, are the dimensions the same?

So, if I make the central pipe 0.750" ID with a 1" Cap for runoff this should be good?

If there is an answer to this somewhere, please point me in that direction.

The sizing depends on the brand of hydrometer or alcometer... Most will fit into either 3/4" or 1" copper... Mine is 11" long and is just under 3/4" in diameter... It just works in 3/4" if the take off rate is slow but reads better in 1" for a fast strip run... However, and funny this topic should pop up as I am contemplating, with my runs being relatively small in size I don't run through a parrot to eliminate extra smearing... If I wasn't so cheap and was to buy a smaller alcometer I might be inclined to use it throughout my runs...

I hade a parrot thathad a 3/4 main tube to float the alcometer. Problem was it surged as the alcohol tried to move past it. My readings were always 10% off, which was easy enough to compensate for on the fly. One way was to "bounce "the alcometer in the main tube. To do this i would give it gentle but sharp push to send the alcometer to the bottom of the main tube. without hitting the bottom! This would cause enough alochol to spill out of the main tube, allowing the alcometer to "bounce" up and down as the tube refilled. If you watched the osciltaions of the alcohol and the alcometer they would be in sync, even though the main volume was rising. This was able to gain a true reading while using. This did get old very fast.

My new flute has a 1" main tube, and although it takes more alcohol to fill, it works better. No surging at all, just nice and smooth. So I suggest measuring your alcometer and get something bigger. But going bigger does cost a little more, so you can "work" with the smaller if need be.

No wrong choice here, unless your alcometer doesnt fit, just different ways to get to the same end point.

Thanks folks. I have extra 3/4" around and wanted to see if I was required to go out and buy 1" and fittings for this purpose.

Will get working on it tonight!

id go with the 1" ... 3/4 just seems too small for my hydro. (pic with 3/4")
spooky

From what I've seen. I would wait till I got the alcoholmeter before I made it. I've seen posts where people have made them to short or to long. And they are not all the same length either. And if your luck is anything like mine you will make the opposite of what you need.

But I would make sure you make it a little longer then your alcoholmeter so you can put a little bit of copper scrubby in the bottom. So when you drop it in it don't break hitting the bottom.

Yeah, I'd wait till you have the alcometer in hand... Main reason being that if you think you are playing it safe by going bigger than you need you will essentially end up with a less sensitive parrot when using a smaller alcometer floating in a larger volume of spirits... Perhaps not that big of an issue with big runs but if you're only going to end up with a couple of liters or less it will be...

Oh its a slippery slope you are starting on.
If you go for the minimal volume route, it means you need to be precise in getting it vertical so may want to add in a stand. I did it this way but there are other options.


This hydrometer only just fits through the 1/2" hole in the top - but during use the main body is in the 3/4" reservoir. Next time I build one the inner tube will be taller than the outer collection cup and not lower.

Has anyone fixed the issue of the damn thing turning round so you can't see the scale?

myles wrote: Next time I build one the inner tube will be taller than the outer collection cup and not lower.

yes this a great point as well, Amazing how you miss the little stuff when you start to build something isnt it?

Yep,, the trick is minimal amounts of product volume to get the best real time measurement and also not so small that you create an exaggerated hydraulic effect.

OD has a very cool vent design for his parrots

Here is mine set up to dump heads prior to dropping the alcometer for the body of the run.

myles, that picture helps demonstrate my point but in a different way... With your feed tube being almost the same volume as the float tube you have almost halved the response speed to changes... Decreasing the volume of the feed tube would effectively increase response speed to %ABV changes...

But, yeah, you are correct with regard to the alcometer binding if the tube isn't plumb...

Actualy rad I took that into account.

I used 1/2" tube on the feed for rigidity but it is mostly filled with lengths of copper wire so the volume is minimal. It was worth mentioning though. If you try to use smaller tube on the feed side it sometimes bends under the weight when full. Take up the volume with copper wire and it is no longer an issue.

Has anyone mentioned the little bit of scruber in the bottom yet? When you drop in the hydrometer and it breaks you catch on quick

That bit of scrubber saves the alcometer from an untimely demise... I'd never use a parrots beak or graduated cylinder without it...

myles wrote:If you try to use smaller tube on the feed side it sometimes bends under the weight when full.

I have not noticed that with the 3/8s soft tubing. I used the soft so I could adjust/level a bit with each run. My still parts are assembled with a lil bit of crook and the ability to adjust is helpful to avoid binding the alcometer on the body of the parrot..

Yes I did mention the scrubby. But I like your idea with filling the feed tube. I had not thought of that and had planned on using 1/2" for mine. Thanks Myles.

This thread has turned out a lot better then I could have expected from a simple question.

So, I have other thoughts. Using Myles's idea with the thicker feed side but filled with copper wire and LWTCS's idea of a needle valve to drop heads prior to measure, why not make a jacketed feed side going into the main column so that the parrot can be cooled (but not required)?

The center of inside tube within the jacket is 1/4" while the outside of the jacket is 1/2", fittings and allow for water lines on both the jacket. Base of the jacket will elbow into the 1" Cap (welded and converted into 1/4"x 1" x 1/4" Tee) with another 1/4" needle valve out the other side for heads runoff. 1" Tube will extend up X" (measure to fit with alcometer) from Cap to have a runoff 1-1/4" to 1" Coupler (for modified 1" Cap) with another runoff for product collection.

Make sense?

What do you folks think?

LWTCS wrote: . . . I used the soft so I could adjust/level a bit with each run. My still parts are assembled with a lil bit of crook . . .

Customization is the word. These are hand-crafted works of art with all manner of customization (but "bit of crook" works too)

on topic:
My parrot is 1" as I found with the 3/4" the alcometer would bob. 10" inches was the absolute minimum in height with the alcometer I have.

You can do that, and I have seen parrot/liebig combinations on here before. If you are trying to adjust for temperature so that your hydrometer gives you a calibrated reading, it will probably be fairly dificult to get stable.

I think most folks use the parrot as an early warning that they are approaching the cut point and don't depend on it absolutely. Where what you sugest would be usefull would be on an offset head design that does not already have a product cooler fitted. However, some folks like their product to come off warm as it helps the airing out process.

This is another one of mine. The hydrometer slowly spins in this one which is a minor irritation.

@ Myles and OP.....thats how I do it Myles. Just an indicator for the run.
I always check again at the cutting bench.

Before I knew better I used to try and do cuts on the ABV - just like they do in the commercial distilleries. Eventually I realised that when you have big volumes of product you can get fairly good cut points. With plenty of leway either side going to the recycle drum.

On our small stills the transitions just dont give you that luxury. Unless you go for VERY selective hearts cuts. If you could consistently duplicate run to run, you might be able to - but I don't think it would be easy.

Small samples and carefull blending seems to be the key, with the hydrometer marking when to start paying attention.

Would a glass parrot work my brother in law is training to be a glass blower and i thought id get him to have a go at making one for me
i guess it couldn't hurt right or am i thinking like a madman

filb wrote:Would a glass parrot work my brother in law is training to be a glass blower and i thought id get him to have a go at making one for me
i guess it couldn't hurt right or am i thinking like a madman

Glass would work until you drop it, and you will.

HeadCase wrote:This thread has turned out a lot better then I could have expected from a simple question.

So, I have other thoughts. Using Myles's idea with the thicker feed side but filled with copper wire and LWTCS's idea of a needle valve to drop heads prior to measure, why not make a jacketed feed side going into the main column so that the parrot can be cooled (but not required)?

The center of inside tube within the jacket is 1/4" while the outside of the jacket is 1/2", fittings and allow for water lines on both the jacket. Base of the jacket will elbow into the 1" Cap (welded and converted into 1/4"x 1" x 1/4" Tee) with another 1/4" needle valve out the other side for heads runoff. 1" Tube will extend up X" (measure to fit with alcometer) from Cap to have a runoff 1-1/4" to 1" Coupler (for modified 1" Cap) with another runoff for product collection.

Make sense?

What do you folks think?

I don’t think you would want to cool your parrot. She might get mad and fly away.

Seriously, most ABV meters are calibrated to measure at about room temp. If your distillate is too cold you will not get accurate readings. You will think you are hitting magic numbers though! No reason to cool there.

Myles when I started reading down the thread and read your first post I wondered,

How many parrots ya think Myles has? And of course I wasn’t disappointed when in your additional posts you break out the fancier rig. How many more do you have in the goodie bag?

Has anyone fixed the issue of the damn thing turning round so you can't see the scale?

I sit and watch mine spin. I will jump up and give it a spin and watch it like a cat waiting for a mouse. How long will it spin this time? Was that 92% I just saw go by?
Cheap entertainment...

My distillate always comes out of the still between 18°C - 21°C, my alcometer is calibrated @ 20°C.
I used to used an alc calibration table but i've been doing it so long now that its now done on the fly...

I have changed my parrot design somewhat. Used to use ¾" for the spirit chamber and ¼" for bottom feed and spout.
Now I use 1" and ½" respectively. The parrot does hold a little more distillate overall but this definitely has and impact on the maintaining of spirit temps closer to calibration temps.
That said, I guess its a combination of what time of the year, how much per hour, how fast and location of where your stillin. I know that this plays a big part in commercial study's...

I'd love to see a glass parrot made, but I guess i'd think more like Blaniks advice and keep it in its padded box, just in case...

Samohon wrote:I'd love to see a glass parrot made, but I guess i'd think more like Blaniks advice and keep it in its padded box, just in case...

It's already been done!



This what you meant, right?

Well, er, two's company I suppose...

MR this was my first one - now consigned to the spare parts bin.
However the coil base DID work just fine, and gives you a decent range of adjustments.

Damn... Now that is what I am talking about! Willy Wonka is a mad scientist!

Your setting the creative bar pretty high. I'm gonna have to go buy a ladder and a big pile of copper, and I'll still be looking up wondering which way you went.

MR

i know this is an old thread. but ive been linking about parrot design. im thinking of using it to keep track of my mashes for beer, want to be very cautious against picking up them tannins and the obvious. im thinking of it in a way where i have space for a hydrometer and a thermometer/ph meter.

i am aware there will be a huge variation between temps at mash out and 20c

I built a parrot to make my runs a bit easier.

Not to debate yes/no parrot...

I gave a test run with a jar of water, and a jar of 100 proof. What I found was water was an obvious 0%.
And the 100 proof was reading nice... except when the distillate was actively running in. The pressure of the spirits entering the high side, pushed the hydrometer/proofing meter up to show a low read. Upon stopping the flow, it presented a proper read.

How do I fix this, so it's a live ACURATE reading as the spirits flow in?

Photos and/or video can be provided if needed.


Thanks for any and all insite.

Cheers.